Monocle 24: Can a Grassroots Progressive Movement Reshape US Politics?

Senator Bernie Sanders, a candidate for US President in 2016, is proposing a grassroots progressive movement to reshape US politics and society. Rather than pursue the headline races for Congress, such a movement would seek to build support and influence at the community level, such as mayoral seats and positions on city and town councils and boards of education.

At a time of political crisis in the US, could this approach take on the challenges of Trump and hard-right and alt-right movements as well as the GOP majority in both houses of Congress to bring necessary change and avoid destruction on economic, social, environmental, and foreign policy fronts?

I chatted with Monocle 24’s The Briefing on Wednesday about the situation.

It’s essential in part to do this. Politics should always start from the community and grassroots level and shouldn’t just be dominated by talking heads on TV and in the White House.

But what concerns me a bit is that you have to match it up in the US to a strategy that recognizes how much of the focus goes through Washington.

About The Author

Scott Lucas is Professor of International Politics at the University of Birmingham and editor-in-chief of EA WorldView. He is a specialist in US and British foreign policy and international relations, especially the Middle East and Iran. Formerly he worked as a journalist in the US, writing for newspapers including the Guardian and The Independent and was an essayist for The New Statesman before he founded EA WorldView in November 2008.